


The Stillness of Silence

by TheDoctorIsIcecube



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Aro ace Link, Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Deaf Character, Gen, Link is sweet okay, The OC is a Gerudo girl and also she's bi as hell, deaf Link, lipreading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-14 05:53:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4553220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDoctorIsIcecube/pseuds/TheDoctorIsIcecube
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link never could hear, but he would never let that stop him becoming a knight of Hyrule.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Stillness of Silence

For the first eight years of his life, Link asked a lot about going to school. It started when he was three, and he would see children going and ask when he too would get to learn like everyone else. He was always told 'soon, perhaps' or 'not now' or 'maybe next year', and when he figured out why, it hurt.

He did have a vague idea he was a bit different to the other children. He always felt like he was behind them, even if he was the fastest and the strongest and the best at most of the games they played.

People always made fun of him for some reason, laughing and pointing and shoving him around because Link never heard them running up behind him.

He didn't understand why he should hear them running up behind him. They often said things like that, so he sort of assumed it was a figure of speech.

Eight years into his life, Link learned that it wasn't normal to not hear things. He found a letter on a table one day when he was home alone and wished after that day that he'd never begged his father to teach him to read.

The letter told his father about things he did understand and things he didn't understand. One of the things he did understand was that it was a letter to tell him that his son Link could not be accepted into the school without extra money because of lack of hearing.

He immediately screwed the letter up and ran to his room, where he proceeded to cry until his parents arrived back home and found the letter and their son in tears.

They tried to explain why they never told him. It was to protect him, to help him think he was developing naturally. It worked, they said, he could do okay.

Link didn't want to know what they had to say. He could see them talking, arguing, saying things he couldn't hear and knew now that it was bad and wrong that he couldn't hear.

He just thought that people only talked when they could see each other talking. He thought wrong. He couldn't do anything, could he.

Eight year old Link spent that whole night and many nights after it lying awake, wondering why he was born to be not good enough and what he was supposed to do with his life now.

He didn't ask if he could go to school anymore. He knew his parents didn't have enough money to send him unless he went hungry too.

Link wanted so desperately to do something with his life, but what was there to do when he was like he was, different and abnormal.

He started by cutting himself away from all the other children. His parents weren't happy but it was what he could think to do. The others didn't mind.

Now, they just threw little rocks at his bedroom window instead of at his face, and shouted up at him words that he didn't and never would be able to hear.

He helped his parents by boarding up his broken window himself, not asking them for help. His room was dark now, but he didn't mind.

Link would sometimes go downstairs and press his face to the glass, watching teenagers and adults training with swords outside, wondering what the noise of the blades was.

Sometimes he would go outside and sit on the fence and people would laugh at him and hand him a little wooden sword. He liked that.

The sword was a bit splintery in his hands, but some of the adults and older kids would get little swords too, and playfight with him.

They were probably just pretending he was good to be nice, but it felt good to be actually decent at something. He asked his parents if he could learn swordsmanship.  
When he was ten, they finally agreed, after over a year of begging. Link was sick of little wooden swords, he wanted the real deal.

Learning without being able to hear all the shouts was difficult, but he could sort of feel in the ground, in the back of his mind, what he was meant to do and how he could do it.

It felt natural, more natural to him than anything he'd done before. The clash of metal on metal didn't bother Link in the slightest, and soon he found himself getting better. Much, much better.

He got to compete in the under fourteen tournament of the village, and he didn't win, but that was only because the audience were throwing stones at him.

He still got second place, and his mother was furious at the injuries he'd sustained not from the swords, but from the rocks. One rib was broken, and there was a nasty cut under his eye.

He wasn't allowed to do swordfighting lessons for a bit after that, but with the prize money his parents bought him a bow.

For a few weeks, his rib was too sore to use it. But the moment it was healed, Link took to the shooting range. He would spend whole days there sometimes, enjoying the satisfying feel of the bow in his hands.

He was good at this, too, which sparked a new idea in the depths of hating his cursed ears. He could do this. Properly.

Full of fresh motivation, Link went back to swordfighting classes with renewed effort. He was determined to be the best, and the best at archery, and he had to learn to ride, too.

He told his parents that he wanted to be a knight and they told him that he probably couldn't do that because there's a special knight school.

Link didn't give up. He wasn't old enough to go yet, and he had to prove to his parents before he turned sixteen just how desperately he wanted this.

He was barely eleven now. He had years to learn how to do this. He bet he could ride out on errands for his parents to Castle Town and look at the school.

It took a few months of riding lessons before he was trusted to do such things, but on his first trip to Castle Town he saw the school. It was so close to the royal palace, and it was magnificent, all stone walls and towers and banners.

He was pretty sure he was told off for staring, but he motioned to his ears and shook his head before dropping the parcel off at the inn.

Riding back to his village, Link knew now that he HAD to go to that school. He had to prove how much he wanted this.

When he got back he got straight into learning everything he could that he might need. He flung himself into practising with his sword and with his bow, and he continued to do as many jobs as possible to get enough money to possibly get himself a horse one day.

By the time he was thirteen, Link had enough money to buy a horse. His parents took him to the stables on a warm day in the middle of summer, and he spent so long choosing the perfect horse.

He couldn't afford the best horses around, but he could afford a little horse a little bit too big for him, and she was still growing, as was he. Her name was Epona and he loved her.

Link spent hours and hours riding her, and practised until he could both shoot and swing a sword accurately from her back. He was still saving up money, only now it was to get into school.

He knew he might probably have to have a tiny bit of an education to get into the school. But he was trying to focus mostly on the actual knight side of everything. He'd moved away from village competitions now, and he had been working up to compete in the Ordon Province competition.

Link was beyond determined to win that competition, because he knew that a representative from the knight's school would be there, looking for one lucky person to give a prized scholarship to.

He didn't even have to win to get it. He just had to prove himself. And then he might, just maybe, win the Ordon Scholarship. He'd have to compete in everything he was trained in.

The night before the competition, Link barely slept. He wanted to have ultimate victory, to win and get that scholarship. It would prove everyone wrong, show the village that he could be a knight if he wanted.

Early in the morning, he packed up all his things for the three day festival and left the village, the packs strapped to Epona's back.

His parents would arrive on the second day, as well as his mentor from the village. The first day of the competition was for the older knights, just a show of talent rather than true fighting. Link sat high up in the stands, watching them fight and seeing rather than hearing the pleased shouts of the crowd at every clash of metal on metal.  
He had made sure he looked presentable, and once he was done watching he was going to go and do something fun but not too taxing. He didn't want to catch the attention of the scholarship man by talking to him.

Nonetheless, Link saw the man once or twice, and couldn't help but stand up a little straighter and adjust his sword belt. Knights were proud, and he had to be proud too.  
He settled with watching various events. He didn't want to spend too much money while here at the moment in case he needed it for something later, and he knew he couldn't go over to talk to anyone here either.

Link managed to buy himself a small amount of food, knowing that he'd need the strength tomorrow, and settled down in his small tent for an early night. Tomorrow would be the biggest day of his life.

He was excited about what was coming. He knew he was good. But he was also scared. Because it was completely possible that he could fail.

Fighting in front of a crowd would be easier when he couldn't hear them, Link knew that from experience. His opponents were listening to every cry and shout of the people, and it was his one advantage over them. He had to use it.

He had to make sure they couldn't exploit his weakness either. He always made sure it was never announced that he couldn't hear during a competition, and he tried to keep on top of things so he didn't betray himself.

The next morning, Link woke early and become his last precious bit of preparation time. He made sure Epona was fed and watered and happy, and checked his bow and his sword for any damage. The first part of the competition was a simple archery tournament, and Link was confident on this one. He was good, and he knew it.

It turned out to be simple. A quick shot at each target, he was well in the lead for every round. People were looking at him and shouting, and he had no idea what they were saying.

There was only one person who came close to beating him, and that was a girl a little taller than him who hid her face behind a mask of some sort and watched Link with fiery eyes. She was a little unnerving, but he couldn't let it put him off. The girl might be his main rival in the competition, and he had to prove he could beat her.

He knew that girls weren't accepted into the knight school, but if she beat him it might be decided that he wasn't really that good, and she'd be given an equal opportunity.  
And Link knew that people were calling out for more diversity amongst the knights, too, so it would just be typical if this was the first year that anyone lost to a girl.

He wouldn't lose, though. He'd worked too hard for this. He'd worked for years, almost half his life, just to get to this opportunity.

The next round of the competition was split into two halves. The first half was horseback archery, which Link once again came out on top in, with that slightly scary girl a close second. The other half was swordfighting on horseback, which proved a little harder.

Being left handed, he had a little trouble matching up with the other people, and he didn't come in first that time. But he was determined not to beat himself up about that, because by points he was still in the lead.

A little while before the final round of the competition, the girl from before approached him, saying something that he couldn't lip read through her strange mask. Link frowned and gestured to his ears, and the girl cocked her head to one side. He tried to mouth 'I can't hear anything', hoping she'd understand.

He could see her laughing at him. She'd probably use that to his disadvantage now. He'd probably lose and then he'd just be back at home.

Link frowned at her, pulling the mask off her face. If she was going to be rude, she could at least have the decency to be rude where he could see it.

'I can lip read.' He mouthed, and she nodded.

'I was saying good luck.' At least, that's what it looked like she was saying. 'And now it seems no matter who wins, the knights get diversity today.'

She had a point, even if Link didn't link to admit that his lack of hearing made him different. 

'Good luck to you too, then.' He extended a hand, and she shook it, grinning at him. 

'May the best future knight win.'

He looked up, and he could see the scholarship man looking at them both. He hoped he did the right thing.

The girl noticed too, and waved a goodbye to him before taking her mask back and heading off in the direction of her own tent. The man wrote something down, and Link resisted the urge to go over and peek, even though he was dying to.

The tournament was a structure of one versus one, building up to the best players playing in the final, so he wouldn't be fighting that girl any time soon.

His first few opponents were easy, and as he battled through the other contestants, more and more people were pointing at him, whispering things. The scoreboard showed two people rising quickly above everyone else, and Link knew, as he had from the start, who his final fight would be.

He hoped they hadn't realised that he had been cursed with the inability to hear. He wondered if the scholarship man knew.

It would almost definitely affect his chances, even if he did manage to win the tournament. It was by no means a guarantee of the scholarship. In the few moments Link was allowed to prepare for his final fight, he sent a prayer to the goddesses above that his disability would not disadvantage him today.

The girl herself seemed nice. If he didn't win, she definitely deserved to. She was nice, and skilled, and she cared about important things. He took a quick drink of water, pretended to place buds in his ears to excuse bad hearing, and stepped out into the final arena.

He was sure the crowd was cheering, and he took a bow, glancing up to judge their reaction. Apparently he was popular. His opponent entered, dressed differently to him in some sort of tight, dark outfit that looked like it allowed for lots of flexibility, but almost no protection at all. If he could hit her a few times, she'd go down. And the rules said that you only had to keep someone on the floor for twenty seconds to win.

He looked at her sword. He hadn't seen her sword before, but it didn't appear to be Ordon. Did she have more experience than him?

The blade was curved, coming to a fine point that glinted in the light. It looked extremely dangerous, and Link wasn't at all keen on the idea of it meeting with any part of his body.

He could just about afford chainmail, which was good, because it seemed like he was going to need it. He also had a shield.

Link looked up at the tournament master, holding a small red cloth. The moment it touched the floor, the fight would begin. He saw the man counting down, and then the cloth was released. It drifted slowly down, and then, after four tense seconds, touched the floor.

She was fast. Holy goddesses above, she was fast. Much faster than he thought it was possible to be. He needed to shift his tactics.

He backed up, pressing against the wall of the arena and looking around. The girl seemed have disappeared, completely gone. The crowd was silent, waiting with bated breath. Link had no idea where she'd gone, or how it was possible to disappear like that in such an open space.  
Up, he suddenly thought, and jumped away, spinning so his back was where she jumped to the ground.

She paused for a moment, and Link could see her eyes flicking over him, judging his next move. He stayed frozen, and then without warning she sprung forward, and they was barely enough time to block her attack before she launched the next one.

This was difficult, but he didn't have time to think about how difficult it was, only to try and get her down. He doubted she'd tire quickly.

He was playing on the defensive, and that was bad. She'd tire him faster than she'd tire herself. Rolling out of the way of her next attack, Link sprung up behind her and slashed his sword, careful not to do much more than create a tiny cut on her arm.

He wasn't allowed to do lasting damage on her. He was glad of that for sure. Because that meant people couldn't do it to him.

She spun round to face him again, and Link was almost sure she was laughing. He swung at her again, and then there was a blur of movement and a sword blade at his throat.

Ack. How could he get out of this, the sword was curved, he needed to get it out of his face. He slammed his shield into her elbow.

She staggered back a couple of steps, but didn't release him. Link kicked backwards, catching her in the kneecap, and again in the stomach. He felt her grip weaken, and used the opportunity to wrench her arm away from him and strike her hard with the flat of his sword. He had the advantage now.

He wasn't going to give it up, either. Strike after strike, most of them parried or dodged but some of them landing.

His arms were burning, but Link knew he wasn't the only one tiring. A quick glance up at the crowd showed them still yelling their appreciation, and he was glad he couldn't hear it. The girl took advantage of his momentary lapse to swing at him, and he blocked it and twisted his grip until she was forced to drop her sword.

He kicked her sword away and knocked her to the ground, breathing heavily. She scrambled to get up, but he could just about hold her. Ten seconds, eleven, twelve.

She pushed hard, slamming her fist into his elbow to try and weaken his arm. Link held his sword tight against her neck, keeping one leg carefully positioned so she couldn't kick him. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen...

Eighteen, nineteen. She smiled at him and mouthed 'you deserve it'. He looked up at the announcer so he could tell when he shouted that he had won.

The girl tried one small last-second attempt at escaping, but then the announcer spread his arms and Link relaxed, extending a hand to let her up. Someone next to the announcer was speaking, and the girl translated for him since he couldn't lip read that far away. 'They're declaring you as a winner, and announcing the prize ceremony in an hour.'

He grinned at her. Were they friends? Or did she just understand that he needed the help?

'We're supposed to bow and walk out now.' Link nodded and, still holding her hand, gave a triumphant bow next to her and left the arena, staying as calm as he could until they were out of public sight. The adrenaline of the fight and the rush of triumph at winning made him want to jump around and hug someone, or possibly hug everyone.  
As soon as he left the arena he couldn't stop himself jumping up and down. He was so happy.

He stopped when he saw the girl leaning against a wall and grinning amusedly at his actions. Link blushed, and sheepishly walked over. 

'I never did catch your name?' They were announced before each fight, which made it a problem when he tried to speak to his opponents and hadn't been able to get their name.

She made a shape with her mouth, but he didn't recognise it at all. Oh well. She didn't seem like a talking person and he really wasn't.

Sensing perhaps that she hadn't been understood, she reached over and took Link's hand. He frowned, as that wasn't exactly normal behaviour. Perhaps it was wherever this girl was from, though, as she led him casually through the crowds to her tent, picking up her sword on the way in  
.  
'I noticed you studying my blade in the fight. Nice, isn't it?'  
He nodded. Ordon blades weren't bad, but he didn't have enough money for something quite as cool as that.

She offered it to him, and Link took it, turning it over in his hands, admiring it, feeling the point and giving it a careful test swing. 

'Where can I get one of these? It's beautifully made.'

She shifted a little. 'You can't. At least not if you're going to be a knight.' She was surprised he didn't know the style.

'Alright. Well, congratulations in being a good opponent. You almost had me several times in the arena.' She smiled and inclined her head, taking the sword back and setting it to one side.

'Do you know where the awards ceremony is?' She asked. It took him a few moments to work it out.

'Isn't it back in the arena?' She nodded. 'I'll see you there?' Another nod, and then she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before waving him out of the tent. Link frowned to himself as he walked away, touching the spot and wondering where exactly she came from. There was something very vaguely familiar about the sword blade and the way she acted, but he couldn't place it.

But it wasn't important right now. Right now, he had to go back to his tent, get into his smartest clothes, and have a drink.

Once inside, he let himself relax properly, and changed into the nice green tunic that was the smartest thing he owned. And then he went to get some water, because Link was absolutely parched. Swordfighting and archery and horseriding were incredibly tiring.

As soon as he was done with that, he quickly gave Epona a pat and a bit of feed before going to the awards ceremony. He had his sword at his belt, his shield and bow on his back, and he felt incredible.

The girl was there too, changed into a dress that was definitely not Ordon in origin, and there was another boy, too. Link didn't remember much about him, so he just assumed that he was the third place winner.

He looked a bit upset. Maybe he'd thought he was going to win. He looked around, and saw his parents. They looked so proud.

Trying to control the stupid grin on his face, Link stepped up to the little winner's podium, and stood proudly through a couple of speeches that he could vaguely make out were about winning and sportsmanship, and then he was presented with a large and very shiny gold medal, and a bag full of prize money.

He could do a lot with this. His parents wouldn't have to work for months if he gave this all to them. But he would use it on a better bow, a Castle Town sword, maybe, or even a metal shield.

The announcer said something else, and then a few more people came into the ring, along with the person from the knight school. Perhaps these were all candidates for the scholarship. He and the other two winners were sent off to join them, all glancing nervously at each other as the man started to talk again.

Link played close attention to what the man was saying, and when his face was turned away, the girl would take over. He was talking about the requirements for the knight's school, and what each student was marked on.  
Then he was talking about the valour of each of the candidates shown, and he read out a list of five names.

Ten disappointed looking boys walked out of the arena, but Link hadn't been sent out yet. That meant he was at least one of the serious choices for this scholarship. One step closer to achieving his dream.

'You five,' The man said, 'have been chosen for a great honour. All of you will be taken to Castle Town this evening to meet your instructors.'

Link glanced around him, looking at the excited faces of the four people around him. They were his rivals now, but at the same time they were the same as him. Everyone here wanted this scholarship.

The girl was still here. She raised her hand and said something that Link couldn't see, but the man nodded and said 'every person here is being considered equally as a candidate no matter their background.'

Once the ceremony was over, Link made a beeline for his parents and was immediately enclosed in a stifling hug and congratulations from both of them.

'We're so proud.' They said, and he felt like he had done something amazing. He'd proved his parents completely wrong.

'Are you staying for the last day of the festival?' He asked. The final day would just be celebrations, and it was rumoured that the royals would be making an appearance.  
His parents both shook their heads. 'We have to go back and work.' His father said. Link tried to offer them his bag of prize money.

His mum pushed it back into his hand, shaking her head.   
'Sweetheart, it's very kind of you. But you earned that.'  
'I don't have anything to spend it on.' He said, shrugging. He did, but that wasn't the point at all.

'You can save it, then.' She gave Link another hug and glanced behind him. 'That girl seems eager to get your attention.'

He glanced back. It was the girl again. 'I think we're friends.' He said, smiling.

'Oh, that's nice. You go and talk to her, then.' Link nodded and ran over, waving hello.

'I think you should be careful.' She mouthed. He couldn't tell if she was speaking or just mouthing.

'Careful?' Link frowned and glanced around him. 'Careful of what?'

'The knights don't have a deaf person in it.' She said.

'Deaf?' He mouthed, copying the word. Presumably that was something to do with him, but he'd never heard of the word before.

'Like you. Someone who can't hear. You should be careful not to let anyone know, otherwise it might decrease your chances of winning.'

'I can't hide it.' His eyes widened. He thought they were all being considered equally. How could he HIDE it?

'I'll stay with you and translate anything you need, okay? You might be my rival, but I like you and I want you to have an equal chance.'

If he had to hide it he should just give up now. Hiding it was useless. He had no chance.

'You can do this.' She smiled and took his hand, leading him away from the general crowds. Link was vaguely worried about going into quiet places with girls, but she didn't seem too threatening without her sword.

The place she showed him to was a quiet shooting range and nothing more than that. 'How do you shoot so well?'  
'Did you go to school?' She asked. He sighed. He did not go to school. He still wanted to go to a school.

Link shook his head, and she nodded. 'Me neither. At least, not a school as you Ordonians would know it.'

He squinted for a moment. 'You're not Ordonian?' He thought she was.

She laughed, shaking her head. 'How much do you know of the Gerudo people?'

'What?' He asked. She laughed again.

'Are you a bit dim? Or do you just spend all your time with a horse?'

'I'm not dim!' Link looked at her, offended, and she laughed and nudged his shoulder. 

'I was teasing you. Ordonians are so sensitive.'

'I'm not Ordonian either.' He grinned at her. He wasn't exactly sure why his parents lived in Ordon.

She squinted at him, leaning in close to examine his features. 'Hmm. Where are you from, then?'

'My parents are both Hylian.' He said. They'd moved when he was about two, and he didn't remember it very well.

'Ahh. That makes sense.' She reached out and touched one of his ears. 'Points. And you've got the pretty Hylian eyes.'

He smiled. No one ever dared talk about his ears. Some people seemed to think he wouldn't have them, for some reason.

'Thanks,' he said. 'Why do you wear that mask so often?' She'd taken it off so he could see her speaking, and had been fiddling with it in her hands.

She shrugged. She didn't want to tell him, obviously. He guessed it wasn't really nice to ask people personal questions.

'Alright. You look nice without it.' Link didn't have much experience with girls, or any idea of the concept of flirting. A friendly compliment was just that to him.

He didn't really speak to people much, because people were never willing to work around him not being able to hear them speak.

'Thanks.' She didn't say anything for a long moment, scuffing the ground of the shooting range with her foot.  
Link yawned. 'Didn't the scholarship man say there was a meal?'

'I think so. Let's find out.' She took his hand again, and Link resolved to ask her sometime why she did that so often. And he should really try and learn her name.

There did, in fact, turn out to be a meal for the people who were being considered for the scholarship, which made Link very, very nervous.

He took a seat on the long table, at the opposite end from the man from the school, and made sure the only person next to him was his Gerudo friend. If possible, he could avoid talking to anyone.

He'd also be able to lip read what the man was saying if he had to. At least then, if it was discovered that he was deaf, he was presenting that he knew how to deal with it.

The food was delicious, but Link didn't manage to eat much. The man was coming down the table, speaking to everyone in turn. At the moment, he was engaging the girl in conversation, and Link was desperately hoping he'd be able to get away with nodding and perhaps only saying a few words if he had to.

He couldn't really speak. He could, sort of, but his parents said it sounded very odd. So generally he just avoided it.

'Link!' The man clapped him on the shoulder, grinning widely at him. 'This year's champion. How are you finding the festival?'

He very almost froze up. "Good," he said. He had no idea how it sounded. "Thank you."

'Great. Looking forward to this evening?' Link nodded.

'Good lad. Have fun, make sure you listen to the instructor."

Link very almost laughed at that. Listen. He looked over at his friend and she was smiling.

'I'll see you around, then. Good luck with the scholarship.' Another heavy-handed pat on the shoulder, and he was left alone to talk to his friend.

She smiled at him. 'Well done.' She mouthed. He felt slightly more confident now. 'I didn't know you could speak.'

'I can. But apparently I sound weird, so I avoid it when I can.' She nodded.

'Seems like a sensible idea. You were a little bit quiet.'  
He nodded. His parents said that too. He practised speaking a lot around them.

'I like the sound of your voice, though.' She smiled at him. 'And I get the feeling you didn't catch my name earlier. It's-' She made that same unfamiliar pattern with her mouth again, and Link tried his best to copy it.

'Kara? Kera? Sorry, I'm really bad at this.'

'Kera.' She said, smiling. He smiled back and got on with eating. He wanted to be done with this.

When the meal was over, he had another hour to kill before the group was set to ride out to Castle Town. Kera was busy sharpening her sword, so Link headed back over to the shooting range.

He was nervous and scared. What would they do if they found out he couldn't hear them? Would they kick him out?

He gave a frustrated growl and set to pacing up and down the shooting range, firing arrow after arrow into the targets until his entire quiver was empty. There was still twenty minutes to go.

He pulled all of the arrows out of the targets and pulled out his sword, carefully practising every stroke he had learned.

So focused was Link on his task, he didn't notice the man from the knight school standing a few metres away, taking brief notes and walking off before Link had a chance to spot him.

After he'd done that, he had a few minutes left to tend to Epona. All of his things were to be left at the festival, and they could even leave their weapons here as they were all going to be using knight weapons to ensure it was all fair. But Link was going to bring his anyway.

Riding Epona into the arena where they were meeting, Link found that Kera had beaten him there. She was doing slow laps on the arena on her horse that maybe wasn't QUITE a horse, as the head was the wrong shape and there seemed to be a horn growing out of it. Some sort of Gerudo thing, presumably.

She smiled at Link when he rode up. 'You have a nice horse!' She called. He could tell she was saying it, so he probably had to actually say something back.

"Yours is nice too!" He hoped that was loud enough. Apparently it was, and she reined in her horse...thing, and joined him. 

'It's not quite a horse. But she's friendly enough, and very sturdy.'

He smiled at it, and reached out to pat the horn gently. It must have made a noise, because Kera jumped back.

'Sorry,' Link hastily apologised, putting a placating hand on the horses' side. He was saved from any further chaos by the arrival of the other three boys, and moments after that by the arrival of the instructor.

'We're riding out in a group.' He said. 'It shouldn't take long if we all stick together and keep control of our...' His eyes drifted over to Kera, 'animals.'

She didn't say anything, but when the instructor's back was turned she rolled her eyes at Link before setting off after the others. It was a long ride to Castle Town.

"Hello." He said. "I am Rento, and I am the chief instructor for junior knights." His gaze swept over the group.

Link couldn't notice that his eyes lingered just a second longer on Kera, and perhaps his eyebrow raised just the tiniest fraction. "All of you pick a sword and shield, and find yourself a partner."

Link picked up a sword a similar weight to his own, and a metal shield. It would barely protect his face, but it wouldn't splinter and his judgement was good.

Kera was clearly disappointed not to find a sword like her own, but she settled for a thin, sharp blade and a small shield, standing opposite Link.

One boy was left alone, and he was given the instructor who had ridden to Castle Town with them as a partner. Link made sure to look carefully at the lips of Rento when he spoke.

'This is nothing too difficult, I just want you to fight naturally with your partners. No injuries, please.'

No injuries at all. Okay, that was easy enough. Kera was good, and he knew how good she was.

They fought for a few minutes, and fought hard, although careful not to hurt each other. Link stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see Rento. 'So you're the boy who won this year?'

He nodded, smiling very slightly at the man. 'Quiet, are you?' He asked, laughing. Link laughed as well.

'And this is the famous Kera. First girl ever to make it this far. I have to congratulate you.' Kera nodded her thanks, and Rento moved on to the next pair.

'I get worried when people talk to you.' Kera mouthed to him while they kept fighting at a medium sort of pace.

'Same,' he mouthed back, glancing anxiously around. 'I think I'm doing okay so far.'

'You are.' She assured. It didn't seem like any of them suspected Link of being anything other than someone who was quiet. His ability to lip read was impressive.  
He'd had a lot of practise, she supposed. 'Turn back to Rento, he's talking again.' Link hastily put his sword by his side and turned to face him as instructed.

'Next we will move to the shooting range.' Rento said. 'In front of your target, you can fire as many times as you like, but stop as soon as you hit the centre.'

The five walked over to the shooting range, and Link picked up the bow. It was a little larger and less flexible than his own, but a few test pulls left him with a good idea of it's capabilities. Notching an arrow, he took aim and hit the centre first time.

He stopped and watched as the other four turned to look at him. He felt so good about this. He could do this.

Setting the bow back down, he smiled at the others and glanced downwards. Rento shouted something, and everyone else resumed aiming.

He didn't actually hear what Rento said, but a quick glance to Kera assured him that it wasn't to him.

Kera was the next to hit her target, grinning triumphantly at Link and sitting on a nearby tree stump to watch the others. It took almost three minutes for the final boy to hit his target, and then Rento called them back over to their horses.

He revealed that they wouldn't be fighting or aiming anything on their horses, as that had already been tested, but they would instead be just riding them.

It was simple enough. Two laps of a field, and then through an easy obstacle course. Link managed the task with no problem, and brought Epona back to the instructor.

'She's fast.' He said, petting her nose very slightly. 'How long have you had her?'

"Three years." Link hoped he was speaking at the right volume.

'Three?' He nodded. 'She's a good horse. Not expensive, mind you.'

Link shook his head. Rento strode off to talk to one of the other boys, and Link went to go and see Kera. Her horse thing had had some trouble on one of the jumps, and she was busy calming it down.

'Not now, Link.' Kera said, waving him away. He was sure he could help, though.

'No, no. Try humming to her. And stroking her, just there.' He gestured to a part of her neck. 'Works for Epona.' Kera gave him an odd look, but followed his advice anyway. The horse stamped it's foot, and then stilled, it's swishing tail coming to a halt.

Rento looked over, and Kera grinned. 'Have fun with the knights, Link.' She said.

'You might still have a chance.' Kera shook her head.   
'Luck seems to have been against me tonight. You've been practically perfect. Just wait and see, you're going to win it.'

'Yeah but when they find out, you'll get it.' He said, sighing.  
'Nah, they'll keep you.' She took his hand and led him back over to the instructor where the others were waiting.

'We will now announce who has won the scholarship, and you will all ride back to the festival from there.'

Everyone glanced around at each other, and Link could see people whispering. 'Quiet, please. You have all done exceptionally well to get this far, and I hope to see you in our school even if you do not win this scholarship.'

Kera nearly scoffed, and Link knew that neither of them would be coming to the school without a scholarship. Rento knew that, too.

'Now, to our winner. It was a tough choice, but in the end, there was one of you who rose above the rest. Link, I would like to congratulate you on your new scholarship.'  
He smiled. He could believe it, but at the same time he couldn't. He looked around and grinned again. He got it. He got it.

He was pretty sure someone was saying something else, but he didn't care. He'd gotten the scholarship.

Link went up to shake the hands of the instructors. 'Can you read and write?' Rento asked. He nodded. Barely.

'Good. You'll need it. Further details of your enrolment in the school will be sent to your home soon, and we expect prompt replies to anything that requires one.'

He nodded. It wouldn't be long before he was training to be a knight. A real knight.

Link couldn't wait to get back home and tell his parents, but first there was the final day of the festival to enjoy. As soon as the official announcements were over, Kera pulled him into a tight hug, grinning at him.

'Well done. You deserved it.'

'Thank you.' He was so close to crying. He had worked so hard. He was going to be a knight.

'We should stay in contact. You know, after the festival is over. Because I don't imagine we'll be seeing much of each other.'

'I live in Ordon village.' He offered. 'If you address it to Link then it'll get to me. It's a small place.'

'My address doesn't translate too well into your language, so I'll send the first letter and leave a return address. Just copy the symbols.' Link nodded. He hoped she didn't love ridiculously far away, because it was nice to have company his own age.

It was nice to have company at all, really. He never got any company, and his parents didn't count.

Kera felt like someone he could actually talk to easily, and he liked her a lot for someone who he'd just met. Idly, he wondered if Gerudos did dating like Ordonians, and then frowned at himself. Kera was his friend.

He wasn't even interested in dating her, or anyone. It was just the way that Kera acted around him, really.

All that hand holding and hugs were things he'd only really seen other people his age do when they were dating each other, although it had never held much appeal to him. Having a partner you could love and trust seemed like a nice idea in principle, but no one had ever caught his eye in that way.

But Kera wasn't like that, so really he should just concentrate on what he was going to do when he was a knight.

The ride back to the festival felt much shorter with all the thoughts in his head, and Link went to bed exhausted but completely happy. He was going to be a knight.

He couldn't wait to tell his parents. And they'd tell the village. Children from Ordon who were accepted into the knight school were a big deal. The last one had gotten a village feast.

Link fell asleep happy, and woke up just as happy. The ground was shaking oddly beneath him, though, and he poked his head out of the tent to see a procession of horses thundering past, led by a pure white mare that he recognised from artwork of the royal family. That was Princess Zelda's horse.

She'd be here. He bet he was meant to be meeting her tomorrow. That would be scary.

Dropping back into sleep, he was lucky enough to stay asleep until the morning that time. Link scrambled out of his tent and went to go buy some food. He hadn't eaten since the meal the previous day.

He had the money to do anything, but he wanted to use it to get himself something nice to wear for formal events. He didn't have anything except his tunic.

Now he'd gotten the scholarship, buying a new sword and shield wouldn't be necessary. The school would provide whatever he needed.

He didn't know if he would get tack for Epona provided or not, so he'd wait to get anything like that.

Kera was hanging around by the arena, clearly trying to see inside. Link went up and tapped her on the shoulder, smiling. 

'Hey. What are you looking at in there?'

'The Princess is in there making a speech.' She said.  
Link peered around the corner, seeing her dressed in some kind of sparkling purple and white dress and a tiara that caught the light as the spoke. He couldn't make out the words from this distance, but she seemed to be holding the attention of the whole crowd.

'What's she saying?'

'She's talking about how some magic items are doing things.' She said. 'I haven't caught all of it.'

'Right.' It didn't sound particularly interesting, but Link stayed to watch her talk for the rest of the speech, anyway. A little while afterwards, he was approached by someone wearing the royal crest. 

'You are this year's winner, correct?'

He nodded. Oh goddesses. Not in front of this crowd, not now.

'The Princess Zelda would like to meet with you. Privately.' Link breathed a sigh of relief. 'And then later, at the festival's closing ceremony.' That was not good. Everyone would be there.

Maybe he'd be able to explain that he might not be able to do this in the way he was expected to. He'd never imagined what he'd do after he got the scholarship.

The guard led him through the emptying arena, into a private box at the back. The princess was even more impressive up close, and Link instinctively bowed low.

He was terrified. She was right here, smiling at him. 'Hello, Link, was it?'

Link nodded mutely. She glanced up at the guard and waved him out of the small room. Now he was alone with the princess. Great. What was he supposed to do.

He shifted awkwardly, and she laughed. 'You do not need to be afraid of me.'

He nodded, standing up straight. Time to at least try and speak. "It's- it's an honour to meet you, Princess."

She glanced at him. "Are you okay?" She asked. She hadn't meant to scare him.

"I'm fine, Princess. Sorry if I'm speaking too loudly, um..."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. Quite the opposite was true. "Is there a problem with your hearing, Link? I know sign language, if you'd prefer me to use that."

He stepped backwards. How did she know? Who told her? He shook his head. "I don't, sorry."

Zelda didn't seem convinced, and turned her head away from him for a moment. She was probably saying something, and now he'd be found out. She turned back, a small triumphant smile on her face. 'You're reading my lips! You're very good. I won't tell anyone, don't worry.'

"I'm sorry." He said, looking down. He was done for.

'No, don't be sorry. I swear on my honour as the crown princess that I will not tell anyone your secret.' She extended a hand towards the chair next to her. 'Sit down. I'd just like to talk to you.'

"I'm not very good at talking." He said slowly.

'It's alright. You're managing just fine.' She smiled at him. 'So tell me, what made you want to compete in this tournament?'

"I want to be a knight." He said, smiling. "I've never been to school."

'You speak intelligently for a person of your age and level of education.' Link blushed a little at her compliment. Coming from royalty, it was a big deal. 'How long have you been training for this?'

"Six years." He said. The Princess seemed to like him. Which was probably good considering.

'That is an impressive feat of determination, I must say. Forgive me if I am wrong, but did you also win this year's Ordon scholarship?'

"Yes." He grinned. He was so happy about that.

'Ah, well done. In two years, I'll expect to see you amongst my personal guard.' Zelda smiled. 'It's been lovely meeting you, Link, but I have to go and compete in the horse agility races, and I should really get changed.' She glanced down at her dress. 'This is hardly suitable for jumping over hay bales.'

He laughed. Personal guard? He was overwhelmed. "Thank you." He said.

'It is no problem. Will I see you watching the horse trials? Half an hour exactly, they start.' Link nodded, eager to please the princess now it seemed she liked him.  
"What will I have to do in the ceremony at the end?" He asked nervously.

'Just stand there and smile, shake the hand of anyone who asks you to. Don't worry.' She smiled. 'I really must get going. One of my guards will come and collect you when it's time.'

He nodded. Was he meant to just wait here for a while? "Thank you again." He said, opening the door for her.  
'You can leave if you'd like.' Zelda laughed. Alright, so he wasn't supposed to stand around. Link followed the princess out of the box, walking after her across the arena and then splitting paths when she turned off into her tent.  
Kera jumped on him straight away. 'What did she say?' She asked immediately.

'Um...she was nice? She asked about my training, and she...she figured out I can't hear. But she was nice about it. Promised not to tell anyone.'

'You're screwed.' She told him. 'She's a ruler, not your friend.'

'No, no, she meant it.' Link smiled. 'Really. I believe her. She's nicer than you'd think.'

'You're trusting.' She rolled her eyes. 'I wouldn't trust her nearly as far as I could throw her.'

'You could probably throw her quite far.' Link laughed.

'She's quite skinny. And I said I'd go watch her race, are you coming?'

'That's why I said I wouldn't trust her nearly as far.' She laughed with him, though, and nodded, taking his hand again.

The two of them wandered over to the biggest field of the festival, which had been decorated with green and gold banners and filled with obstacles.

'I bet she's good.' Kera mouthed. To Link, it felt like she'd been doing this for ages. It was as easy as speaking to his parents.

Kera was great, and she was so easy to get along with. And she could almost beat him in a sword fight. Which was fun.

'Do you know someone else like me?' He asked. He had to know. It felt like she did.

'What do you mean? Someone else deaf?' Link nodded. 'Yes, actually. My little sister back home. So I'm used to what to do and stuff.' She smiled and squeezed his hand.  
He nodded. He wasn't the only person who was cursed, then. It was sort of nice to know.

She leaned on the fence, and he leaned next to her. The first few contestants were just entering the field, on horses much more impressive than his own.

He almost felt bad for having a horse so cheap. Epona was incredible and worth so much more than he had paid in every single way, but still...these horses...

They were show horses, he knew, designed for agility and competitions, whereas Epona was built for speed. He just had to remember that these people were different to him.  
Epona was also great for handling, and she was so friendly. He hoped he could keep with her.

Kera nudged him, pointing out Zelda's white mare in the line of parading horses. 'There's your precious princess, Link.'

Link blushed. 'Shut up, she was just nice to me.'

'Whatever you say.' She winked at him, and he shoved her gently. Kera laughed.

'You're missing all the action.'

It was very interesting action, too. He knew the Princess could ride, of course, but she was good. Very good.

He stood transfixed by the display until it was over, and then blushed when the princess took off her riding helmet and looked right at him.

Was she really interested in him? He was scared about the potential she had to destroy his future with a few words.  
But she just nodded and then waved to the crowd in general, before walking off to stand in line with the rest of the riders.

He was also worried about the ceremony later. He knew he only had to shake people's hands and not much else, but he was worried.

It was going to be fine. The princess won second place in her riding contest, and Link spent the rest of the day wandering nervously around with Kera.

People kept coming up to him to say hello, to say well done for the competition. He hoped he hadn't missed any people calling to him.

Eventually, the same uniformed guard from before approached, and he had to leave Kera to follow him. The princess was waiting in her box, back in her sparkling dress.

He smiled and nodded. He was so happy that she was helping him rather than hurting him with this.

She gave her speech, welcoming a few people who looked extremely noble and important onto the stage, including an elderly man Link recognised from pictures he'd seen as the oldest surviving Knight.

He gladly shook hands with all of them, smiling at each of them and hoping no one was saying anything that he couldn't see.

When it was all over, and Link had taken his last bow before a crowd he knew was cheering, he was free to go back to his tent. Kera was waiting there already, arms folded and a grin on her face. 

'Everyone loves you out there. You're like a proper little star.'

He just smiled at her. He was so happy. He was going to be a knight! An actual knight!

'My mother's here to take me back home now...' She glanced over a few metres away, where a woman and a small girl who both looked a lot like Kera were pointing at the brightly lit stalls packing up for the night. 'So, I won't see you again. Not for a while. I'll write, though. I promise.'

'Is there time for me to meet them briefly?' He asked, smiling at her again hopefully. He didn't want her to go yet.

'Yeah, we're not in a rush.' She took his hand and wandered over, greeting them both in an unfamiliar language. Then, switching back to something he understood, she pointed to him. 'This is Link. He won the tournament, and he's great. And Medli,' she bent down to smile at the little girl. 'He's like you. I told you that you weren't the only one who couldn't hear.'

Medli's face split into a huge grin, and Link smiled back at her. He felt awkward, and he didn't know what else to do, or say.

The little girl hugged him tightly, only coming up to about his waist. He patted her on the head, and Kera's mother laughed. 'Pleasure to meet you, Link. My daughter seems to have taken quite an interest in you.'

'I'm glad.' He mouthed, looking towards Kera. 'It's thanks to her the knights don't know I can't hear.'

'They'd accept you anyway, I'm sure.' She patted his arm. 'Anyway, my daughters and I really must be going.' She glanced at Kera. 'Say your goodbyes for now.' 

'I'll miss you.' Kera pulled Link into a crushing hug, and then took both of his hands. 'I'll write as soon as I can, I promise. Don't think you've seen the last of me.'

Link laughed. 'See you around.' He said.

'You too.' Kera leaned in to kiss his cheek, and then she turned and began to walk away, glancing back once or twice to wave. Link waited until she was too far away to shout to, and then headed to his tent. He needed to sleep.

Someone tapped him on the back just before he reached his tent. He span around. He recognised the person vaguely. He had no idea from where, though.

'Well done on the scholarship. I have to say, though, it was predictable that they'd choose the Hylian over us Ordonians.' Link suddenly recognised the person as one of the other boys who'd been up for the scholarship.  
He shifted and shrugged. It was only fair. He had been better than everyone else at the try outs.

'Fight me.' The boy drew his sword, and Link stared at him in confusion. 

"Why?"

'What's wrong with you?' The boy laughed. 'I want to fight you.'

"No, I don't want to hurt you." Link backed up, put his hands in the air. The universal gesture of 'please calm down and don't run me through with that sword'. Now he looked closer, he thought maybe this boy had had a bit too much to drink. The sword was unsteady in his hands, and he kept swaying.

Maybe he could just gently push the boy over. 'Your voice is all messed up!'

"Um." The boy swung clumsily at him, and Link easily ducked the blow and grabbed hold of the sword, twisting it out of the boy's hand. "Go back to your tent. Now."

'I'm going to tell everyone you're all messed up!' He shouted, grabbing the sword and running away.

Link was concerned about his threat for about three seconds, until the drunk boy tripped over a tent peg and promptly fell asleep on the floor.

Well that was good. He'd never drink. Alcohol was expensive, anyway.

Heading inside his tent, Link finally settled down to sleep, drifting away almost immediately. It had been a long day, and he had a lot of travelling to do tomorrow.

He was so excited to get home. He got in! He couldn't wait to start filling in the forms.

Arriving back home the next day, he immediately told his parents the good news. Within half an hour, the whole village knew and several people had soon taken it upon themselves to cook enough celebratory food to feed an entire army.

He was so happy, going to that feast. And everyone in the village knew about him so he didn't have to worry about hiding everything.

Even the people who had spent their childhoods throwing rocks at his bedroom window had to congratulate him. It made a nice change, and Link loved being the centre of attention.

He had to show off his shooting, too, and he ate so much food. He'd never seen so much food in his life.

The feast went on until past midnight, and then most of the village fell asleep under the stars. Who needed beds when there was soft grass and warm food.

Link went back to his bed though, because he still didn't trust people not to hurt the deaf boy who wouldn't wake up if they shouted.

A few days passed after that, and then two letters arrived at once. One was an official looking document, on fancy paper and sealed with wax, and the other appeared to be written on a large rolled up leaf.

He read the letter that was clearly from Kera first. It read that she had made it back home, she hoped he was well and she was planning to enter the tournament in her own province.

She'd also written her own address at the top, in a script Link didn't recognise. The symbols looked easy enough to copy though, so before he even opened the other letter, he sat down and wrote a long reply, wishing her luck in the tournament and saying the events that had happened in his own village since he'd returned.

He'd send it when he next went on an errand to Castle Town, maybe. His parents said they'd send him soon.  
The other letter was in fact several letters, detailing when his school term would start, what equipment he would need, and presenting him with several long forms to full in.

He took one look at the list and decided that he shouldn't have spent half his prize money on a formal outfit, though that was one of the things on the list.

He needed chainmail that fit him properly, new tack for Epona, and a short list of books covering both knightly crafts and simple literature and mathematics.

He'd have to go to Castle Town for these anyway. He'd have to take all of his prize money and everything else he'd saved up.

And so, a week after that, Link sent his letter and forms to be delivered, and went looking for the right shops. First was the chainmail, which would require him to be fully measured and would cost an extortionate amount. Luckily, his prize had been rather large.

Next was tack for Epona. It didn't have to be new, he just needed to buy a couple more things, so that was okay. It wasn't too much, and he had enough money for the books, he was sure.

The bookshop in Castle Town was a dark place, lit by small lanterns shaded every colour of the rainbow. Tome upon tome lined the shelves, and stacked up in heaps on the floor. It was somehow peaceful yet menacing all at once.

He showed the person at the desk his list, and they said something he couldn't really lip read in the dark.

The old man hobbled off, and Link presumed he must have just said he was going to find the right books. He returned several minutes later with a stack of books, and handed them to Link in exchange for the money. He still had some left over, which was nice.

He wasn't going to spend it though, just in case he needed something else. Why was being a knight so expensive?  
Breaking his little 'no more spending' rule to get himself a small amount of food, Link attached all his purchases to Epona and began the journey back.

The ride home was long, but Epona never stopped being incredible, and he was at home in no time. His parents lamented how expensive the so called scholarship was, but they didn't really mind, he knew.

Link had exactly one month until term started now, and in that time, he trained harder than ever before, and did everything he could to find out about the school. It was going to be great. Just absolutely the best thing that had ever happened to him.

He was going to be a knight. A knight. Zelda wanted him to be part of her personal guard. He didn't think that would happen, but the concept was exciting enough. 

The night before he was due to leave for Castle Town, Link found himself almost sick with excitement and nerves. He had everything, and he'd practised so much that every sword move came to him as naturally as breathing.

It was a quiet evening. His parents and him had a meal and discussed everything that had happened to lead to this moment.

Link would have to get up early, so he went to bed early enough to allow him to get a good night's sleep. Before he slept, he sent up a prayer to the goddesses, thanking them for blessing him with this opportunity and praying that he would be able to keep his place in the school even when he was found out.

He knew it was when. He knew he couldn't hide forever. He didn't want to hide forever, because it was difficult and would hurt his chances of being as good as he could be.  
After a long and happy goodbye with his parents, Link mounted Epona, checking one last time that all his equipment was in the right places, and rode off through the fields to Castle Town. Time for his future to begin.


End file.
